Culture: Nature vs. Nurture in Stockton

Southwest Hall in 1800s - Stockton State Mental Asylum

Current Southwest Hall 

I recently found out that Southwest Hall, the second largest residence hall at the University of the Pacific, was originally the Stockton State Mental Asylum. This was an interesting bit of information that made me realize that if Kaspar Hauser had lived in Stockton during the 1828, he would most likely had put into the Stockton Mental Asylum, the current Southwest Hall because people in Stockton would had considered him insane for claiming to grow up in a cell and for not being able to speak any human language. Hauser was a German youth who claimed to grow up in a darkened cell and showed up in the streets of Nuremberg, Germany at the age of approximately 16-17. Kaspar was and has remained a hot topic for the psychology realm today due to his unique situation.


Video 1

The story of Kaspar Hauser reminds me of the “nature vs. nurture” theme in Xunzi’s teaching. “Xunzi argues, humans are innately inclined to satisfaction of physical desires and thereby to competition, which in turn cause disorder and chaos, if not restrained and guided properly.” (Introduction to Confucianism 79) He believes that “human nature is innately evil rather than good” and human nature needs “cultivation” to be transformed into goodness. He grew up in a cell with no human contact and no method of “cultivation” for his human nature. He essentially lived like a caged up animal/beast. He had only desires for physical satisfaction and needs. When he first arrived at the village, he was treated exactly like an animal to the extent of putting him on display. However, he was taken in by the villagers and was cultivated, his human nature was forced back into himself. The first video demonstrates the villagers’ initial attitude and the change in attitude after Kaspar’s “transformation.”
Essentially, by being taught the rules of society by the villagers, he was being guided by “li” or “propriety/ritual” of the society. In this way, he gained knowledge of the guidelines for human behavior and righteousness. It is just as Xunzi said “education is of primary importance for ordering the state and transforming human nature” (Introduction to Confucianism 79). According to Xunzi’s teachings, Kaspar would now no longer be considered a “beast” or “a human born without moral virtues.” Xunzi believed that “humans are all born with the same nature and it is learning that sets them apart” (Introduction to Confucianism 80). When Kaspar and others “undertake learning,” they became humans. In fact, as shown in the second video, it is seen that Kaspar Hauser has become so cultivated in such a short time that he is able to feel music in his heart and desires to learn and play music as easily as he can breathe.


Video 2